Malaysia should not be blamed for the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on the United States for not detaining two of the suspected terrorists involved when they were spotted in Kuala Lumpur last year.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today that the duo, Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf Al-Hazmi, entered Malaysia as ordinary tourists.

"How are we to know they are terrorists. Are you saying that had Boeing not made aeroplanes or that pilots had not fallen ill with stomach ache and were unable to fly the planes, there would be no Sept 11 attacks," he was quoted as saying by Bernama.

The premier was responding to a recent report in a Singapore daily which said the attacks could have been prevented if the duo were arrested when they were reportedly seen in Kuala Lumpur in January last year.

Mahathir claimed that such reports appeared to purposely create problems for Malaysia, adding that "we too can hurl allegations like that".

"When a person comes here as a tourist, are we going to ask him ... are you a terrorist ... obviously he would say no.

"When people come here, we regard them as tourists. Only when we have proof that they are indeed terrorist, then we shall have them arrested," said Mahathir.

On the possibility that Malaysia is being used as a base by terrorists, the premier replied that any country was vulnerable to such a possibility.

"We do not know and cannot recognise these people, just like the time when we fought against communist insurgents who were traders or hawkers during the day but were terrorists at night," he said.

Last Sept, CNN reported that Khalid was seen on a surveillance tape meeting with a man in Kuala Lumpur, who US officials suspect played a hand in the attack on the USS Cole warship in Yemen two years ago.

Yesterday, Inspector-General of Police Norian Mai also dismissed the daily's report, saying the allegation was unfounded.

"The allegation is unfounded because we have informed the US of their presence as they have more interest in the two. To us, we have determined that the duo did not do anything which amounted to a threat to the country's security," he said.

Tracking militants

Meanwhile, on the fresh arrest of 13 Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) members under the Internal Security Act, Mahathir said the government would continue to track down the militants.

According to the premier, the government was aware that KMM has links with an Indonesian militant group responsible for a spate of bombings in the republic.

The possibility of KMM mounting similar attacks in Malaysia could not be discounted and therefore must be checked, he said.

Norian told a press conference yesterday that the 13, including a university lecturer, were rounded up in several states between Dec 9 and Jan 3.

One of those detained was said to have links with the al-Qaeda terror network through Zacarias Moussaoui, a Moroccan of French nationality who the United States has charged with terrorism.

Al-Qaeda is led by Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind behind the Sept 11 attacks while Moussaoui was alleged to be an employee of a Malaysian company.

However, the company - Infocus Tech (M) Sdn Bhd - later denied the claim.

Norian said those arrested were a threat to national security and were planning to set up an Islamic government through militant means.

He added the group was a new wing of the KMM whose alleged leader, Nik Adli Nik Aziz, son of Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Nik Aziz Nik Mat and several others, were detained under the ISA last year.

The police chief also said there were new KMM cells in various states throughout the country, with one cell in one state not being aware of those in other states.

Penang-based NGO Aliran and opposition party DAP have today called for those arrested under ISA - which allows detention without trial - to be brought to court.